As August wound to a close, several firms took the opportunity provided by the dog days of summer to improve their sites and unveil new site features. The list of firms making changes includes Citizens Bank, Fidelity, ING Direct, Scottrade, TD Ameritrade and Vanguard.

Site Upgrades

This month, Vanguard took some simple steps to improve the functionality of its public and private sites. The firm implemented a new universal top menu that greatly improved navigation throughout the site. Vanguard also added a new remote access feature that allows customer service reps to take control of the user’s computer and assist with functions on Vanguard’s site.

ING Direct made a few private site changes, headlined by the addition of a new navigation structure and a new online Billpay center. Citizens Bank overhauled its public site and implemented a sleek and organized new blue and green page layout. A new account checking and savings tool was also added to the Citizens Bank site.

TD Ameritrade improved its private site market overview section by adding new global index, currency and commodities charts. The previous overview section focused predominantly on U.S. markets. Fidelity also improved its market-based content by improving the search capabilities for their pre-existing Get Quote search tool. Scottrade expanded its Knowledge Center with an array of investment articles and content from their monthly news letter. Additionally, the Knowledge Center was made accessible to public users, as it was previously located exclusively on the private site.

Back to School

Soon the classrooms will reopen, with pool parties and sleep-away camps being replaced by…homework. Capital One’s virtual classroom is already open, though. This August the firm unveiled MoneyWi$e Online, a new educational site focused at teaching teenagers about managing money and building good credit. Students aren’t the only ones grabbing their calculators and planners, as Allianz Life and John Hancock released new advisor tools this month. John Hancock’s Client Communications Calendar is an interactive advisor resource that highlights seasonally themed sales ideas in the form of a virtual planner. Allianz Life’s new calculator aids advisors in projecting sales commissions and personal marketing costs.

In Other News:

• Feedback…Please! – While several firms such as Vanguard and First National Bank of Omaha have added blogs to allow public comments, T. Rowe Price and Wells Fargo have introduced new public site polls asking for feedback about products and services.

• Alert Capabilities – Alerts are critical for keeping clients aware of their account activity, thus promoting sound banking and financial awareness. American Express, Capital One and Merrill Lynch all updated their alert capabilities this month to include such features as ratings and asset allocation change alerts, more detailed alert histories and in-depth alert descriptions.